Spring assembly



Oct. 19, 1943. L, A, YouNc; AL 2,332,124

SPRING ASSEMBLY Original Filed May 5, 1941 INVENTORS. zap/10rd 4, You/7 A BY V/[o 460/"0 M AT 0% Patented Oct. 19, 1943 V 11:)":

; assignors: to I;.; ;A. Young Springi &,, Wire Cor poration, lletroit,fll\ 1ich., a corporation of Michoriginal application Ma 5;}1941; SeriaPNo. 1 1

a 391,934. Divided and this application September 29, 1941, Serial'No. r l

3 Claims. tailpiece) This. invention relatestoyimprovements in spring assemblies. This is a division of our copending application Serial No. 391,934, filed May 5, 1941.

The mainobjects of this invention are:,

First, to provide. an improved spring structure 1 or assembly of the coil springwtype in which the border body springs are very securely anchored tothe border frame members. or member.

Second, to provide a structure embodying these advantages in which'the border frame and the I These frames are-formed of a suitablegauge'of wire rod stockand are each provided with a plurality' vof'spaced pair ofoffsets 5,15 disposed a substantial extent downwardly' or normal to the plane of the frame and connected by an intermediate upwardly curved portion or ridge 1, Which-is at therapex thereof approximately linear with the frame. Eacnpair of these offsets defines a W-shaped spring receiving and secursprings are pre-formed prionto' assembly and very quickly assembled and. when assembled are securely retained in. their co-engaging relation.

Third, to provide a structure having these advantages which the-parts may be assembled by relatively. unskilled workers.

Objectsrrelat ing to details and economies of the invention will appearfrom the description to follow. The invention isdefined in the claims.

:Preferred embodiments ofthe invention areil lustrated .1, in, the accompanying drawing, in' 'WhiChI c. a i Q. Fig. 1 is ,a fragmentary top plan view illustrat ingja cushion structure incorporating a spring assembly of the invention, part of the upholstering of, said structure, being removed to show structural features and the relation of the parts totheassembly. ;.v

Fig. 2 is'an enlargedfragmentary view in side elevation, viewed from the right'of Fig. 11, further illustratingstructural details and relationships of 1 the spring assembly or unit.

Fig. '3 .isan enlarged fragmentary view-on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, illustratingthe mannergof assemblihg or looking the border coil springs on. the border frame of thejassembly, successive positions in the manipulation involved in this operation being shown in the solid and dotted lines. v

. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, further indicating the parts in operarelation of the spring and frame tive assembled position. i .7

The invention relates to spring structures such as illustrated in Fig. 1 as embodied in anupholstered seat or similar cushion structure I for an automobile seat, a chair, or the like. However, it will be appreciated that the provisions of the ine vention are equally well adaptable for incorporation in mattresses or other spring applications.

As illustrated in the drawing the spring assembly or structure of the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 2 and comlplelient Iateraldisplacement through-inadve te cen a i p L H ,,In assembling the spring with the frame,- the prises a pair of upper and lower rectangular border frames 3, 4 which are in general identical.

ing-;element, it being understood that the respective offset of theupper and lower frames are vertically aligned as illustrated in Fig. 2' and are disposed to extend vertically inwardly (of the spring structure. 1. r

The individual springmembers of the assembly are indicated bythe reference numeral-1 8 and are connectedto one" another by the crossed coil connectorsfi'in a conventional manner. The end coils of .the.border springs are offset upwardly from-theplane of the coil at spaced points to providefrounded shoulders H), which are in turn .bentinwardly a distance substantially equal to;

the gauge .of the frame member 3, then turned downwardly and joined by an integral bight H. The lateral spacing of the inwardly offset shoulders .110 of the spring coil, corresponds to the spacing of the recesses -5 and. 6 of the various locking offsets on the. frame; and bight II is adapted to engage interiorly of or behind the ridge 1 connecting the said recesses 5. 6, wherebyin operative position the end coil ofthe spring not only has end engagement with the recesses 5, 6 to prevent endwisemovement on the frame, butfalso the top coil is engaged on either side thereof bythe frame shoulders 10 and ridge H bightv l I like tool thereof is first grippedby a special plierl2 having a curved abutment l3 and an elongated curved .bill l4 angularly overlapping said-abutment and terminating in a concave nose or seat I5. The bight II is gripped between the coacting curved surfaces, of the bill and abut- ,ment, with the tool in a depending position underneath the frame'and spring. The bight is then shifted laterally, drawing the bight out Wardly beneath the frame to the position illus-' trated in dotted lines in Fig.3, after which, engaging the concave seat l5 of the bill with the outer surface of the frame at curved ridge 1 thereof, the tool is rotated by a continuous movement in clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3

from the dotted line to the solid line position p thereof. This springs the end coil sufficiently to permit bight l I thereof to pass over the upwardly curved, reach 1, following which, upon release of the tool and said bight, it snaps downwardly over the said ridge with the shoulders I 0 of the spring offset engaged in the recesses 5, B of the frame in the manner clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. A

very effective engagementis thus provided; bight ll having internal restraining engagement with reversely curved intermediate portions, the pairs -=o'f offsets being spaced longitudinally of the the frame offset. It will be evident that a simi-- lar and equally simple and quick manipulation-is performed in securing the bottom end coil of the spring to the bottom frame I;

In structures of this type,

or torsional movement as well as to support the border frame members against lateral swaying it is desirable hold the frame members against imd'ue'buckling inner ends of the arms or which are joined by border frames, and the pairs of offsets of the two said frames having the offsets of a pair in vertimovement. We accomplish this by providing,

diagonally disposed braces l8 which extend from the bottom stay members It and H to opposed side members of the topborder frame. These bottom stay members are welded to the opposite sides of the bottom border :frame' so that it is restrained against any buckling or twisting movements;

The brace members or'struts J! are provided at one end with laterally disposed spiral hooks l9 which are'engaged with the stay members l6. These spiral hock members may be readily engaged by aswingingmovement. At their other ends, the braces l8..a.re provided with angularly disposed arms 22, the angles of these arms being such that when the endsyof the braces are brought into juxtaposed relation v,to the frame member to which they are to be attached they are in diverging relation thereto. 7

With the hooks engaged, the arms 22 are clamped to the border-frame 3 by means of suitable clips 23, during th'eclosing of. which the arm Ti is brought into parallel relation or sub stantially parallel relation to the frame member to which it is secured. This applies a clamping stress to the spiral hook l9that is, the tensioning or the arm 22 resulting from shifting 1 or transferring it from. its axial relation to parallel relation tends to I'OCklll'lG hook axially and applies clamping stress to opposite sides of the member with which it is engaged with a result that the parts are'held under clamping tension so that there is no slippage or clicking noise resuiting from movement as the body-springsare compressed or extended. a

We have illustrated an embodiment-of our invention which incorporates the principles of the invention in a highly" desirable manner. It

should be understood that the foregoing terminology is used in adescriptive manner and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention claimed being set forth in the following claims.

. portions being in the same plane, and a plurality r callyaiigned and oppositely facing relation, and agplmality of border springs having in their end coils "inwardly disposed loops which are preconformed in their entirety, the bight portions of which, are disposed angularly relative to the arm portions; the arm portions of said loops being engaged in the seats defined by said pairs of oflsets with the central portions of the angularly disposed bight portions of the loops in sprung engagement with said portions intermediate said offsets.

In a spring assembly, the combination of a plurality of border springs having certain coils thereof provided with inwardly disposed loops which are pro-conformed in theirentirety, the

big'nts of which are disposed angularly relative to the arms of the loops, and top and bottom irarnes of round stock having pairs of vertically disposed ofisets therein providing curved seats with which the arms of the loops of said springs are engaged, the inner ends of the arms of the off-sets merging in reversely curved intermediate portions providing lugs with which the central portions of the angularly disposed bight portions of .said loops have sprung engagement, said border frames being in superimposed substantial intersecting relation to the coils of the spring having said loops therein.

3. 111 a spring assembly, the combination of a border frame of round stock having spaced pairs of curved offsets therein providing seats, the inner ends of the arms of the offsets merging in reversely curved intermediate portions, the pairs of offsets and the said intermediate of border springs having inwardly disposed loop like hooks pro-conformed in their entirety in corresponding coils thereof, the springs and the border frame being disposed in superimposed 1 substantial intersecting relation with'the arms of the loop-like hooks engaged in said seats constituted by said offsets and with the centrol portions of the bight portions thereof in retaining engagement with said portions intermediate of the offsets. Y LEONARD A. YOUNG.

VITO ASARO. 

